Rice, generally referring to an Asian make of vehicle, Rocket generally referring to the speed or power of that particular vehicle. A true Rice Rocket means that the owner has tricked out his/her ride with actual engine/performance equipment to allow it to go faster. Often times, the owner will also do external/internal appearance mods to give the vehicle a racey look. Some people, however, forget to do engine/performance mods, and only do external appearance mods, meaning they don't have a a true Rice Rocket. They have a typical Asian vehicle that may or may not look fast, depending on the mods done to it. In recent times, "Rice Rocket" has been used to describe not only cars of Asian origin, but also some cars of European and North American descent that have been tricked out to go and look fast.

Hey, look at Tai Pai over there in his Rice Rocket...Man, the $12,000 he put into his Civic's engine mods, ground FX, rims and suspension really paid off. He killed that Mustang GT that cost $20,000. But look over there, Tai Pai's little brother Ling Lee tried racing the same Mustang GT. He got killed, because the Ground FX and Coffee-Can exhaust didn't do anything on that Corolla. Guess he doesn't have a true Rice Rocket!

A (usually) imported front-wheel-drive, four-cylinder vehicle (usually Honda Civic, Toyota Celica, Dodge/Plymouth Neon) with front-wheel-drive that has been extensively visually modified by its owner. Such modifications include fiberglass body panel replacement or enhancement, addition of whale-tail spoilers, low-profile tires on large rims, clear-lensed H.I.D. headlights, and a modified final exhaust stage.

Occasionally, these vehicles have much more extensive modifications, including but not limited to: total exhaust system overhaul, turbo/supercharging, engine replacement (To other high-performance inline four-cylinder engine ex. Honda S2000 or Saab 9-3), addition of a highly explosive gas (Nitrous Oxide or "NOS") into the fuel injection system, interior, seating, and steering modifications, and high-end stereo upgrades.

Signs of a rice rocket:
1) Came with a 4 banger
2) Now "tricked" out
3) Uses laughing gas to go faster, which is ironic seeing as how the whole idea is a joke
4) Gay writing on the windshield. This is usually the drivers' name in Olde English (just in case they forgot their name during the run) or the brand of car they run (just in case you couldn't tell under all the body kits and stickers)
5) Gets smoked on the quarter-mile by an 80-year old Jewish woman driving a Continental.

Fast and the Furious was a good movie until I realized, to my horror, that I paid money to watch it.